This wasn't a banner year - quite literally - for Sudbury high-school soccer teams.
With NOSSA championships in the books, SDSSAA (Sudbury District Secondary Schools' Athletic Association) will send but two representatives to OFSAA provincial playdowns this week, with Sault Ste Marie entries securing three spots and one going the way of a North Bay institution.
The city boys champion St Benedict Bears needed an extra time goal courtesy of Dominic Quintana in order to slip past a well-matched St Mary’s Knights team out of Sault Ste Marie, the locals securing the NOSSA senior boys “AA” soccer banner with a 1-0 win.
“They are definitely a tough team,” noted veteran Bears’ midfielder Mauro Cusinato, who heads off to McMaster University in the fall (Business), hoping to find his way on to the varsity soccer roster. “Their (St Mary’s) midfield is one of the best that we have seen. We really had to win that midfield battle today.”
“We had to focus on being physical and leaving them with no space and time.”
While it was nice to pot their goal in extra time, Cusinato suggested that the St Benedict lads were fine if the contest had exceeded the four periods of play. “We were confident – we have Noah (Palladino) as keeper,” said the 18 year-old who also starred with the Bears varsity hockey team.
“But obviously the mentality is to try and get it finished in extra time.”
The teams had played to a 1-1 draw in their round robin matchup and the final proved equally as close. Opening play Thursday in Milton at OFSAA, the Bears will kick things off with a morning contest with King's District Collegiate Cavaliers from Oakville, closing out day one against the St Mary Catholic Academy Huskies from Toronto.
The following morning pits St Benedict opposite École secondaire l'Essor Aigles from Tecumseh (near Windsor), hoping to secure a top two spot and move on to quarter-final play following game number four versus École secondaire Catholique Paul-Desmarais Patriotes.
On a more personal level, Cusinato is keenly aware of the work that needs to be done if he is to take that next step and compete at the OUA ranks in the years to come. "If I am to have success at the next level where there are bigger and older opponents, I have to be perfect, technically, because I am not going to win the physical battles all the time," noted the smaller statured Sudbury lad.
"I am working a lot on bringing my technical level up and my overall physicality."
Joining the Bears in OFSAA competition will be the Lockerby Vikings, NOSSA "A" representatives after beating the Algonquin Barons from North Bay 3-1 in Walden.
The highest scoring affair taking place at the Walden Kinsmen Sports Complex was the NOSSA Junior Boys “A” final as the Franco-Cité Patriotes from Sturgeon Falls and the Lockerby Vikings combined for no less than eight goals in total, with a hat trick from Alexandre Davidson pacing the Pats to a 5-3 win.
“Every time they would score, I would think of it as a 0-0 game, just to get motivated to get another one,” suggested Franco-Cité captain Jacob Hayes, a midfielder who played with the GSSC (Greater Sudbury Soccer Club) Impact for at least one summer previously.
“We just kept fighting back.”
Xander Millett scored twice for Lockerby with Maxwell Dodge netting the other while Jacob Hayes and Jackson Porter capped things off for Franco-Cité, which benefitted from the northern knowledge of their post-game spokesman.
"We didn't know too, too much (about Lockerby)," admitted Hayes. "But I know Xander's playing style, and a bit with Logan (Vikings' defender Logan Anderson). We came in trying to have as much fun as possible.
